The Trailer for The Nun Will Leave You Praying for Mercy

The latest Conjuring spinoff may be the darkest one yet.

Once a horror franchise has hit three or so installments, it's usually easy to assume that the creators are running out of juice. But The Conjuringseries has managed to prove us wrong on more than one occasion—and the latest addition to its twisted universe, The Nun, looks like another screamer. Today, Warner Brothers released the teaser trailer for the upcoming horror flick. It promises terror and fright, as the sinister spirit of a nun haunts the church she died in.

The film is certainly not our first introduction to the terrifying nun witnessed below. Those who saw The Conjuring 2 will remember the character from her appearance in paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren's visions as she and her husband, Ed, look into the possibility of evil spirits.

Viewers will finally get some answers as to just who that nun was, and why she still haunts the living. The film takes place in Romania in 1952, just after a nun kills herself. After reports of strange occurrences in the church, a priest from the Vatican (Demian Bichir) and a young nun named Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) are sent to investigate the mysteries surrounding her death.

Want more horror movies? Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and get the freakiest flicks delivered straight to your inbox.

Yes! I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks.

The trailer opens with Sister Irene's voice, as she speaks to the priest about their mission.

“I had a series of visions when I was younger," she says. "And after each one ended, the same thought would be stuck in my head... I saw a nun.”

Many have been speculating about Sister Irene's place in the franchise: She is played by the younger sister of Vera Farmiga, who has played Lorraine Warren in each of the main Conjuring films. Will their relation explain some of the Warrens' ability to sense and cast out supernatural entities?

The Nun's apt tagline is "pray for forgiveness"—you'll find yourself doing just that after the trailer's jump-inducing conclusion.